An Obama Administration official today refused to say that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel. It’s the latest disturbing abandonment of our ally by the present administration.

When pressed by a reporter earlier today, State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland carefully avoided calling Jerusalem the capital of Israel, instead deflecting the query by claiming that Jerusalem’s ultimate status will only be determined in peace negotiations by the Israelis and Palestinians.

“The first media note was issued in error, without appropriate clearances,” Nuland explained when asked about the altered press release. “We reissued the note to make clear that undersecretary, acting undersecretary for—our—Kathy Stephens will be travelling to Algiers, Doha, Amman, Tel Aviv, and Jerusalem. With regard to our Jerusalem policy, it’s a permanent-status issue. It’s got to be resolved through the negotiations between the parties.”

Pressed further on whether the State Department considers any part of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital city, Nuland bristled.

“Our policy with regard to Jerusalem is that it has to be solved through negotiations,” she said. “That’s all I have to say on this issue.”

Wow. The White House needs to directly address this issue. And soon. This is an unacceptable position.